C.S. Lewis on How Words Lose and Regain their Being

According to the Inklings, poetry is the art of restoring the language to its pre-Babel state.

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In ancient lore, the poet, when visited by muses, would often be described as endowed with the “gift of speech.” Such a person could use words most powerfully, setting the soul on fire.

In his cryptic poem “The Birth of Language,” C.S. Lewis called such fiery words “proper names.”

In his mystical imagery, the Ultimate Meaning is born in the…